University Roundtable
Each semester the University Roundtable features 3 lunch programs with a talk or program by a member of the university community. Roundtable programs are open to members of the university community and their guests.
- Most Roundtable events are held in Varsity Hall in Union South; see event registration page for location information
- Roundtables begin at 11:30 a.m. and end by 1:00 p.m.
- The registration cost for each event is $15 and includes lunch
- Registration and payment must be received in advance; there is no day-of registration
- The registration deadline is 15 days prior to each event
- Register online or via the direct links below
- If you are experiencing difficulty registering, please call Learning and Talent Development at 608-262-7107 or e-mail registrations2@ohr.wisc.edu
- Payment must be received by the registration deadline, or your registration will be cancelled
- We are not able to offer refunds after the registration deadline has passed; if you are no longer able to attend, you may let someone else attend in your place
- If you would like to pay by credit card or pay for multiple individuals once they are registered, please call 608-262-7107
- Checks should be made payable to UW Roundtable and can be sent to: Learning and Talent Development, UW–Madison, Suite 5101, 21 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53715
Fall 2026 Programming
October 28
The WiscVision Story: Democratizing Microsurgery Through Innovation, Education, and Global Collaboration
Microsurgery can restore function, salvage limbs, and transform lives, yet access to the specialized equipment, technology, and training required to learn these techniques remains profoundly unequal around the world. We will share the story of WiscVision, a UW–Madison initiative that began with a simple question: could we dramatically reduce the barriers to learning microsurgery? Through the development of low-cost, 3D-printed surgical microscopes, accessible simulation platforms, synthetic blood vessels, and innovative educational programs, WiscVision is working to democratize microsurgical education and bring high-quality training to surgeons regardless of geography or resources. We will discuss how collaboration across surgery, engineering, education, and global health has helped move this idea from a prototype developed in Madison to a growing international initiative—and how partnerships centered on education and local capacity building can create sustainable access to complex reconstructive care around the world.
November 17
Is Earth the Only Living Planet?
Are we alone in the Universe? People have asked some version of this question for more than two thousand years, but only in the last decade has it become one we can hope to answer with observational data. We now know of thousands of planets orbiting other stars, some of them rocky worlds not much bigger than Earth, and telescopes such as JWST can measure the composition of their atmospheres by watching starlight filter through them. The search for life has therefore become a search for atmospheric chemistry that living things produce and nonliving processes do not. Thomas Beatty, Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy and a member of the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR), will describe how these measurements are made, which gases we are actually looking for and why, and what makes a “biosignature” convincing rather than merely suggestive, including the possibility that some signals could come from technology rather than biology. He will discuss how his group and colleagues across WiCOR are bringing UW–Madison into this search with current telescopes, and what upcoming facilities will let us look for next.
December 16
Algorithms and AI as a Mirror onto Ourselves: How Technology Is Shaping the Way We See Ourselves
We increasingly turn to algorithms and AI not only for information, but for feedback, social interaction, and even companionship. Are these technologies quietly shaping how we see and feel about ourselves? Catalina Toma, Professor of Communication Science and Director of the Center for Communication Research, shares her recent research on how emerging technologies have entered the most intimate sphere of our lives: our sense of self. She first looks at how online dating algorithms can subtly alter users’ perceptions of their own romantic desirability. She then turns to conversations with AI chatbots, exploring how these interactions may shape loneliness among young adults’. Together, these studies reveal how technologies can become unexpected sources of self-knowledge, mirroring and amplifying our perceptions of how we fit into the social world.
Have ideas or questions?
If you have ideas for speakers or questions about the program, please contact the Office of the Secretary of the Academic Staff.